End Times - The Rapture

Summary: This is a Christian Bible study highlighting scripture about end-times prophecies. Also pointing out a different indicator unknown to most. Acknowledging that God purposely kept the complete details from us, and only gave us some hints and pieces in the Bible. Although we can find hundreds of end-times articles on the internet (mostly websites with donations and profit-generating ads), they're extracted from the same Bible references, but with added variety of people speculative views.

Non-Christians: I highly recommend you start with my article, Atheism - A Different Perspective, before reading this page.

CONTENT

End-Times Bible Indicators
The Rapture
The 2nd Death
The Antichrist (interpretation unknown to most!)
Is the Rapture Before, During, or After the Period of Tribulation?
More on End-Times
Related Sections on How to Be Ready for the Rapture

1. End-Times Bible Indicators

There are two indicators in the Bible that point to approaching end times:

Wars, rumors of wars, and earthly disasters growing (Matthew 24:6-7), which will start when this next indicator reaches its fullness:
When most people become without the Holy Spirit (Matthew 24:15).

(A Bible indicator unknown to many)

The 1st indicator is not quite there yet because there were worse times in history than today. Today's events such as Covid and the wars in Israel and Ukraine are relatively insignificant compared to similar events in the past - World Wars 1 and 2, Smallpox in early 1900s (300 million people dead), the Spanish flu of 1918 (21 million dead in 4 months), etc. And the environmental issues may be hundreds of years away before we see actual disastrous effects or may even be cyclical. However, this indicator could speed-up very quickly if today's wars escalate into a nuclear confrontation for example.

The 2nd indicator, "when most people are without the Holy Spirit," is usually not considered by most. We can have an idea of this indicator by monitoring the world around us - things like news about fast decreasing number of Christians, social media and Atheism influence on new generations, etc. And not to forget that most of the so called "Christians" today are misled by their churches' false doctrines, and therefore are not true Christians, and already don't have the Holy Spirit. Jesus said: “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever, John 14:15-16.

Who even knows Jesus' commands today, much less keep them?!! And who therefore has the Holy Spirit, "another advocate"?! The situation is worse than we know!!

I believe when this 2nd indicator reaches its fullness, then the 1st indicator will be launched.

Where did I come up with this 2nd indicator? It's from the Bible. We can learn from past rapture-like events described by the Bible, such as, Noah's flood and Sodom and Gomorrah. In both of these events, it was when there were no true believers left in the land, except a handful of them, that God took action. In both cases, God raptured the few true believers, and destroyed the rest.

There are two specific terms used in the Bible to refer to this 2nd indicator coming in the future:

"The abomination that causes desolation."
"The One who now holds it back."

Expanding on the 2nd Indicator:

The abomination that causes desolation

This term was mentioned in several places in both the Old and New Testaments. It means:

- Abomination: Demonic spirit - the devil.

- Desolation: When most humans are without the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 24:15-24 [Jesus said:]

15 So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand … 24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

In other words, when you see that the evil spirit has replaced the Holy Spirit in most people - "standing in the holy place" meaning where the Holy Spirit would normally reside inside people, then the false messiahs will appear...

"The Holy Place": Most theologians think the "holy place" is a temple in Jerusalem. But it is not!! Not anymore! Recall that when Jesus died on the cross, the curtain of the inner-room, "the Holy Place" in the Jewish temple, was torn in two. This indicated that the Holy place was no longer a physical place in Jerusalem. The Holy place that Jesus is talking about here is the place where the Holy Spirit resides, based on the New Covenant of God - inside of us. Paul said the same here:

‭‭1 Corinthians‬ ‭6‬:‭19‬‬

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?

Note, any nice person - "nice" by worldly standards but not necessarily by God's standards, can have an antichrist-following-spirit. It means they rejected the God of the Bible in some form or another. Example, today's churches and their unbiblical teaching, like Protestants, Catholics, Orthodox, Calvinists, etc., and atheists & devil worshippers, and all non-Christians. And no, I'm not saying everyone is without the Holy Spirit except me! I'm saying today's Narrow Gate is much narrower than it was in the days of Jesus when He spoke of it. Also I explain here why I'm saying this about churches: Are We True Christians.

The One who now holds it back

According to the apostle Paul in the reference below, when the Holy Spirit "the One who now holds it back", is no longer inside most people on earth, then end-times events are launched. Which has the same meaning as the "abomination that causes desolation" that Jesus spoke of, referencing the prophet Daniel.

2 Thessalonian 2:7-9 [Paul said:]

For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the One who now holds it back will continue to do so till He is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of His mouth and destroy by the splendor of His coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie...

Notes: Paul, reiterating Jesus' words, said that the Antichrist will appear on the scene when the Holy Spirit "is taken out of the way". Meaning most people on earth become rejecting of God, and consequently without the Holy Spirit. Then the "lawless one" will have unhindered free roam.

2. The Rapture

The Bible describes a first resurrection for true Christians, people nick-named, "the Rapture". And a 2nd resurrection, for the rest of the people later, called "Judgement Day".

1 Thessalonians 4:14-17 Paul said:

14 For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 15 According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

Revelation 20:4-6

4 I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony about Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

Summarizing some facts on the Rapture, from Bible references:

What is the rapture? It is when genuine Christian believers both dead and alive are removed from earth and joined with Jesus in the clouds. Note, only true-Christian-believers will be removed in the rapture, not all so called "Christians"! Who are the "true Christian believers"? They're those who's sins have been forgiven. They know the commands of Jesus and keep them. See section below on The Lord's Prayer. If you're thinking, "what commands? I'm covered by the blood", or "I pray the rosary always", you'd better see The Lord's Prayer section.

Will the rapture be before, during, or after the tribulation period? It is towards the end of the 7-year tribulations. Clear biblical references below.

Although the actual word "rapture" is not in the Bible, it is a good one-word description of the events prophesied in the Bible.

No one knows when Jesus returns except God the Father. Therefore, it could be tomorrow or 500 years from now. So, you can ignore all those collecting donations on YouTube and profiting from clicks on TikTok.

The rest of the prophesied end-times events (shown in the section below) will continue on earth after the rapture. Most of the end-times horror will not be attended by true Christian believers because they would be raptured from earth earlier.

On the rapture day, when the dead believers rise to meet Jesus in the clouds, among them will also be all the biblical personalities, like Adam, Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Mary, Paul, the disciples of Jesus, to name a few who will also rise from the dead at the sound of the trumpet.

There are several rapture-like events that already took place in the Bible. These are very good parallels that we can learn from:
- Noah and his family removed before the flood. Which was actually referred to as a parallel to the rapture in Matthew 24:37-39.
- Lot and his family removed before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, also used as rapture parallel in Luke 17:28-29.
- Mary, Joseph, and baby-Jesus removed before King Herod ordered the killing of all babies under 2 years old - Matthew 2:13-18.

2.1 How to be ready for the rapture whether dead or alive at the time

It is not about who is not sinning!! It is about who has their sins forgiven! See my page on How to Be True Christians. While not sinning is our calling, we should genuinely repent when we do, humble ourselves, and ask God for forgiveness the proper way. And He will forgive you!

To always remain in the state of "sins forgiven", Jesus gave us the perfect daily prayer - The Lord's Prayer (see section below with crucial new explanation). As long as we genuinely pray this prayer daily with the Bread meaning the spiritual Bread of life, Jesus Himself, for the forgiveness of sins, we will always be ready for the Rapture.

It's sad to hear so many churches, book authors, and internet Christian sites don't know what Christianity is about! Teaching people that the only way to make it into the rapture is to stop sinning! Church leaders talking about "God is angry..." pressuring people with harsh requirements they themselves cannot keep! See Are We True Christians? (section below) about the incompetency of churches. They're all getting creative with generating profits from the innocent!

Summarizing - to be ready, become right with God, the biblical way:

Pray the Lord's Prayer daily, with the "Bread" meaning the spiritual Bread of life, Jesus Himself, for the forgiveness of sins. And receive the Holy Spirit.

Wholeheartedly seek God, by studying the Bible.

Genuinely love all people of all origins, skin color, and financial status, as you love yourself. And most importantly, always forgive them.

3. The 2nd Death

There are several references in the Bible about a 2nd death.

The 1st Death:

Our normal physical death - All people on earth will experience this death, except those true believers who will be alive during the Rapture.

Revelation 20:6

Blessed and holy are those who share in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

The 2nd Death:

Is the eternal hell destination on judgement day - for those who rejected God in some form or another; who did not learn Jesus' commands, nor keep them. And therefore, their sins were not forgiven. Whether Christians or non-Christians, they will be resurrected on judgement day and destined to the "lake of fire". True Christians whose sins are forgiven will not experience the 2nd death.

Revelation 20:14-15

Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Revelation 21:8

But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.

In this reference from Matthew when Jesus was describing the rapture He said:

Matthew 24:34-35

Truly I tell you, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

"this generation will not pass away" - "pass away" here refers to the 2nd death at judgement time. And "this generation" refers to the people standing around and their generation.

So to those clueless unbelievers mocking the Bible, yes that generation of people at Jesus' time, did pass away 1st-death-wise. But will be brought back for the final round of judgement, and then "pass away" 2nd-death-wise.

4. The Antichrist

The references below point to 2 different characteristics of the word "antichrist":

A person with a demonic spirit - as in, the Antichrist the son of the devil.
A collective teaching "not in line with Jesus Christ of the Bible". Example, the churches of today. See Are We True Christians?

What is the meaning of the adjective "antichrist"?

It is any teaching not in-line with Jesus Christ's teaching and commands!

You are either one of this group:

The Christian body of genuine believers following Jesus' commands, led by Jesus Himself through the Holy Spirit within us.

Or one of this group:

The body of unbelievers and other "seemingly believers but with modified teachings of Christ", aka churchgoers, not following Christ's commands, led by Satan himself due to the absence of the Holy Spirit within them.

This Bible reference points to the exact point I'm making:

1 John 2:18-19

Dear children, this is the last hour; and as you have heard that the antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come. This is how we know it is the last hour. They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us.

Notes: John said here, even in his time antichrists started appearing! He used the term, "they went out from us". Meaning they picked up some teaching about Christ, and took off with it their way. John called this behavior, antichrist!! It makes sense; any teaching not in line with Jesus Christ's teaching is an antichrist-collective according to this 1John reference. This trend has definitely exploded over the years, and is approaching ripeness in today's churches.

And the following reference says the Holy Spirit is currently still holding back the "lawless one". Then there will come a time when He won't hold him back anymore. Meaning a time when most people on earth become rejecting of God in some form or another, no one will be filled with the Holy Spirit anymore. Then the Antichrist will appear in the world:

2 Thessalonian 2:7-9 [Paul said:]

For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord Jesus will overthrow with the breath of his mouth and destroy by the splendor of his coming. The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie...

You are either Christian, or you are antichristian, there is no in-between. Thinking that "a church teaching with some flaws is ok?" It is not! It is poisoning people's thoughts with their false doctrines! Jesus spent a lot of time and effort giving us precisely-worded parables and commands, not to be neglected!! To ignore Jesus' commands and get creative means you're antichristian.

I believe that today's churches, lost as they are, are primed and ready to become Antichrist followers when he appears and starts displaying signs & wonders!

👉 I don't think the Antichrist will have horns and red eyes, nor appear at a satanic-worship temple for example - no, no one will follow that guy! And he will not be in Israel's Jerusalem either, because the Holy place is no longer in that Jerusalem. The Antichrist will be a handsome charismatic person, with eloquent speaking abilities, and will say what people want to hear. All he has to do is go-along-with the antichristian teachings already in-place in today's churches. Guaranteed to gain the loyalty of churchgoers:

Take today's fast growing Pentecostals, for example, by-faith-aloners with already fake miracles and fake "speaking in tongues". A person like this will be strongly welcomed to lead their gatherings.
Following right-behind, is today's Catholic church. Masters in devious ways of mummifications of people then declaring them saints, and putting them on display in glass caskets for duped "pilgrims" to come and donate. Where in the Bible does it say, if the dead body doesn't fully decay it means they're a saint??!! Multiplying hosts is another sleeve-trick. It is all false religion, antichristian!

Add to that the upcoming Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies, and we'll have all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that the Antichrist will use, and many will fall for... Watch out that you are not deceived!

Along these lines, other parts of the Bible talk about what seems to be a satanically empowered man who will gain worldwide control with promises of peace (Revelation 13:1; Daniel 9:27). He will be aided by another man, called the false prophet, who heads up a religious system that requires worship of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:20). The internet is full of speculations about the antichrist - "he will be a Muslim, he will be a Jew, he will be a gentile, he's already here, he's a spirit not a physical person, etc.." They're just speculations; no one really knows.

Mark of the Beast:

Interpreting the Book of Revelation is not an easy task. There are speculations everywhere, but until God reveals to us the full explanation in the future, we only have bits and pieces of it.

Revelation 13:16-18

It [the beast] also forced all people, great and small, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on their right hands or on their foreheads, so that they could not buy or sell unless they had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom. Let the person who has insight calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man. That number is 666.

One possible interpretation of "666" is that the mark of the beast is the number 6, but emphasized 3 times as in the ways of emphasizing in those days and that culture. And the people who will receive this mark are those who's sins are not forgiven because they followed their church and rejected God. They did not learn Jesus' commands, nor keep them. Revelation 13:8 describes them as: "all whose names have not been written in the Lamb’s book of life".

A quick overview of number meanings in the Bible:

-The number 6 represents "man" who is sinful by nature. It comes from the fact that man was created on the 6th day. So the "mark of the beast" is 6.

-The number 7 represents God who is Holy. The number 7 interpretation comes from the fact that God rested on the 7th day, "the Holy Sabbath". The word Sabbath means 7.

-The number 3 represents the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And is a Holy number.

-The number 12 represents the 12 tribes of Israel, and is considered a Holy number.

-The number 144000 elders in heaven, in the Book of Revelation, is another Holy number based on the "Elect" from the12 tribes of Israel. 12x12000=144000. It is a holy number representation of the saved, not an actual number.

5. Is the Rapture Before, During, or After the Period of Tribulation?

A tough question indeed, has been debated forever. There are many opinions and views out there, mostly because the Bible did not give clear description of it. But I believe God will reveal more as we get closer.

Here is my answer, with biblical references below:

The Rapture will be closer to the end of the period of tribulation.

But it is likely that "most" true Christian believers alive at the time, will not experience the tribulation pains.

Jesus said to pray to avoid its pains, and Paul said we are not in darkness that this day should affect us.

5.1 The Rapture May be Closer to the End of the 7-Year Period of tribulation, but Christians Won't Suffer:

Again, the Bible does not give a complete clear description. But we can study and pray for wisdom from God. The following reference sheds some light on this question.

Luke 21:10-12 [Jesus said:]

10 Then He said to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. 11 And there will be great earthquakes in various places, and famines and pestilences; and there will be fearful sights and great signs from heaven. 12 But before all these things, they will lay their hands on you and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues and prisons. You will be brought before kings and rulers for My name’s sake.

13 But it will turn out for you as an occasion for testimony. 14 Therefore settle it in your hearts not to meditate beforehand on what you will answer; 15 for I will give you a mouth an d wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. 16 You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. 17 And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. 18 But not a hair of your head shall be lost. 19 Stand firm, and you will win life.

I actually believe Verse 12 already took place with the disciples and apostles. Paul described in the New Testament almost exactly the same happened to him. So, we can deduct from this that true Christians will likely not suffer in the tribulation period.

Further confirming that Verse12 already took place - Then Jesus said in Verse13 that it will be an occasion for testimony. Which is also exactly what Paul did. Example Paul witnessing to King Agrippa:

Acts 26:28-29

Then Agrippa said to Paul, “Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?”

Paul replied, “Short time or long—I pray to God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.”

Most True Christian Believers Alive at the Time, will not Experience the Tribulation Pains:

This reference from Jesus says that we can pray and avoid it.

Luke 21:34-36

34 “Be careful, ... that day will close on you suddenly like a trap. 35 For it will come on all those who live on the face of the whole earth. 36 Be always on the watch, and pray that you may be able to escape all that is about to happen, ...

And these references from Paul say we shouldn't be affected because "we don't live in darkness," which is equivalent to what Jesus said. True Christian believers will not experience wrath, even during the tribulations because they know how to pray to God (i.e., the Lord's Prayer), and He will protect them. But with one exception related to "the Elect", in the next subsection.

1 Thessalonians 5:1-9 [Paul said:]

Now, brothers and sisters, about times and dates we do not need to write to you, for you know very well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. While people are saying, “Peace and safety,” destruction will come on them suddenly, as labor pains on a pregnant woman, and they will not escape. But you, brothers and sisters, are not in darkness so that this day should surprise you like a thief...

9 For God did not appoint us to suffer wrath but to receive salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember that these will not be normal times. They will likely be more in line with the Moses in Egypt times - as in God's people will not be affected, but unbelievers will, example:

Exodus 8:22-24

‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’”

And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.

And this one from Revelation end-times, about not harming people who have God's seal on their foreheads:

Revelation 9:3-5

And out of the smoke locusts came down on the earth and were given power like that of scorpions of the earth. They were told not to harm the grass of the earth or any plant or tree, but only those people who did not have the seal of God on their foreheads. They were not allowed to kill them but only to torture them for five months. And the agony they suffered was like that of the sting of a scorpion when it strikes.

6. More on End-Times

How Exactly Do We Get Taken Up at Rapture?

First, we have to accept the fact that the Bible did not provide much details. But we do have a couple of analogic examples in the Bible:

The ascension of Jesus into heaven was described with some details:

Acts 1:9-11

After he said this, he was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight.

They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

Aside from the resurrection of Jesus, another description in the Bible that can be used to give us an idea about the dead people going up at that time, is the raising of Lazarus from the dead. Before the miracle, his sister told Jesus, "It's been 4 days, his body is decaying and stinking by now...". But Jesus brought him out as a whole, normal human.

Only some hints of how it will happen, but precious ones!

Another Rapture Perspective:

The question of "when will the rapture occur?" can also be answered in a different way:

To any living person the rapture is less than a 100 years away. How is that? The day we die, we fast-forward to the rapture. Paul said "in a twinkling of an eye" - so from the point-of-view of the dead person, the moment they die, they instantly reopen their eyes to the sound of the trumpet.

I'm 65 years old now in 2024. So for me the rapture is less than 30 years or so away.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:36-41 that no one knows the day or the hour except God the Father. And compared that time to when Noah and his family were removed before the flood. And in Luke 17:28-29, Jesus also compared it to when Lot and his family were removed before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. In these references, it was noted that Noah and his family and Lot and his family were removed before destruction. This is still in line with rapture after tribulations. Because the worst destruction comes in the years after the rapture.

Matthew reported similar words from Jesus as Luke described.

Matthew 24:36-41

[Jesus:] “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

Matthew 24:3-8

As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. “Tell us,” they said, “when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains.

Matthew 24:9-13

[Jesus:] “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved.

6.1 A Possible Timeline of End-Times Events

There are several references in the Bible that talk about end-times events. These references have a lot of similarities between them, and correlate in some ways. Starting from all the way back in the old testament book of Daniel, through the new testament, and to the book of Revelations. But none are crystal-clear, with questionable timeline sequence - which part was before? and which was after?... Obviously God intended it this way. He chose not to give us the full description; He gave us some hints, to be clarified in the future at His chosen time.

And so, with room for speculation, you'll find a variety of opinions out there, particularly relating to the order of things. The list below shows one possible scenario of the main events related to end times, gathered from reading the Bible and researching on the internet.

Again, this is a best-guess timeline from the hints God gave us in the Bible:

The Antichrist person appears on the scene. When the Holy Spirit ("the one who holds it back") is no longer inside most people on earth: 2 Thessalonians 2:7 … And then the lawless one will be revealed. Then a satanically empowered man will gain worldwide control with promises of peace (Revelation 13:1; Daniel 9:27). He will be aided by another man, called the false prophet, who heads up a religious system that requires worship of the Antichrist (Revelation 19:20).

The tribulation. 7 years in which God’s judgment is poured out on unbelievers. Who are the "unbelievers"? They are Christians whose sins have not been forgiven because they were misled by their churches, and of course all non-Christians (Revelation 6:1 - 16:21).

The rapture. Jesus' return. True Christian believers, dead and alive, will be removed from earth.

The Battle of Gog and Magog. A great army from the north, in alliance with several other countries from the Middle East and Africa, attacks Israel (Ezekiel 38–39). Note, this happens after the Rapture. So all the noise on the internet and social media about the Russia - Ukraine war and the associated middle-eastern coalition etc. as the beginning of Gog and Magog, is not in line with the Bible prophesies. True Christian believers will not be here during the Gog and Magog war.

The Battle of Armageddon. Jesus returns with the armies of heaven (Mark 14:62). (Revelation 19:11–21). The Antichrist and the false prophet are captured and thrown into the lake of fire (Revelation 19:20).

Jesus' judgment of the nations. Christ will judge the survivors of the tribulation, separating the righteous from the wicked as “sheep” and “goats” (Matthew 25:31–46). (It is thought that at this time the Old Testament believers will be raised from the dead.) The righteous will enter the millennial kingdom, and the wicked will be cast into hell.

The 1,000-year reign of Christ. Jesus will rule the world. This will be a 1,000-year period of peace and prosperity on earth (Revelation 20) and (Isaiah Chapters 60, 61, & 62). Satan will be bound and held in a bottomless pit for that 1,000 years (Revelation 20:1–3).

The Great White Throne Judgement. Aka Judgement Day, Revelation 20-11. All those in hell will be brought forth, and all the wicked from all eras of history will be resurrected to stand before God in a final judgment (Revelation 20:11–15) and (Daniel 12:1-13). The verdicts are read, and all of sinful humanity who rejected God in some form or another, did not keep Jesus' commands, and therefor whose sins are not forgiven, is cast into the lake of fire.

New heaven & new earth. God creates a new heaven and a new earth, Revelation 21:1-4. The saved true Christians will live on the new earth forever. See Truths about Heaven & Hell.

7. Related Sections on How to Be Ready for the Rapture

7.1 The Lord's Prayer is Severely Misunderstood

This is not a Catholic article! It is a Bible-based interpretation of this prayer.

The Lord's Prayer, from the Bible:

Matthew 6:9-13 ISV Jesus said:

This then, is how you should pray:

Our Father who are in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily Bread and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who trespass against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Summary:

According to the Bible, God only sees us as one of these, nothing in-between:

Sins forgiven daily = Righteous

Flooded with God's blessings!

Sins not forgiven daily = "Evildoer"

No matter how nice a person you are!! Living in a world in random motion.

Matthew 7:21-23

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, ... I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Matthew 6:31-33

[...don’t worry about earthly needs] but seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

Jesus has specific new-covenant commands throughout the New Testament.

Churches, theologians, internet sources, and some Bible-version, went in all kinds of wrong directions misinterpreting the Lord's Prayer. The most essential part of God's new covenant has been ignored and destroyed over the years by completely missing the meaning! In this page I provide strong biblical references showing how precious every word in this prayer is.

Examples of missed meanings:

"Your kingdom come" - means "give us the Holy Spirit". Jesus said it in these verses:

‭‭

- Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭17‬ “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”.

- Luke 17:21 "...the kingdom of God is within you."

- Luke 11:13 "...how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

- 2 Corinthians 4:16 Paul: …our inner Person is being renewed day by day.

The "daily Bread" - is the sacrifice of Jesus, the "Bread of life" that God gives us by faith, for the forgiveness of our sins. This is the real meaning of "by faith alone"!!

- John 6:35 Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of life..."

- John 6:32 Jesus: "...my Father gives you the true Bread from heaven."

- 1 Corinthians‬ ‭10:17 Paul: "... there is one Loaf… we all share the one Loaf."

- 1 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ "... offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

- The Jewish priests were instructed to eat from the sacrificed lamb daily for the daily sin-forgiveness of the people. And the Christians eat the spiritual Bread of life (Jesus's sacrifice, as instructed by Jesus) daily for the daily forgiveness of sins. (See Section 7 below for Bible references).

"As we forgive those who trespass against us" - God strictly means it; it is not negotiable! If we don't forgive everyone, He won't forgive us!

- Matthew 6:15 Jesus: "But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, your Father will not forgive your sins."

- Mark 11:25 Jesus: "...if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

- Colossians 3:13 Paul: "...Forgive as the Lord forgave you."

The Lord's prayer involves all 3 Persons of the Trinity, and is essential for our proper daily relationship with God as He intended - We ask God the Father, to send the Holy Spirit to reside in us, and to give us the Bread of life, Jesus Himself, for the forgiveness of our sins.

7.1.1 We Need the Bread of Life Daily to Always Remain Righteous in the Eyes of God

Praying the Lord's Prayer daily as Jesus commanded, will keep you ready for the rapture. Jesus said that His sacrifice on the cross turned into a redemptive "Bread of life" that we need daily, by faith, in order to become forgiven of our sins and remain righteous in the eyes of God, receive His blessings, and truly be saved. The Bread represents the sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf - the spiritual Bread of life that God gives when we ask Him:

John 6:33-35

33 For the bread of God is the Bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

34 “Sir,” they said, “always give us this Bread.”

35 Then Jesus declared, “I am the Bread of life..."

Question: Why did Jesus tell us to pray His prayer for the forgiveness of our sins daily? If we're covered by the blood, saved by grace, born again, and predestined, nothing else to do, why did He say to ask God the Father for the forgiveness of our sins every day?

Answer: Our sins are forgiven only on a daily basis and when asked properly as Jesus commanded. Covered by the blood, saved by grace, and predestined, are only true if we've been praying the Lord's Prayer daily.

No blanket forgiveness for life! Yes Jesus paid the price once and for all, which meant no more sacrifices needed. But asking God for forgiveness of sins is still required daily, according to Jesus. Our redemption from sin is still daily just as God had it throughout history. Jews and Gentiles need the "Bread of life" daily!

1 John‬ ‭2:4‬

“The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and yet doesn’t keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

What are "His commands"? Here's one of them, the Lord's Prayer:

Matthew 6:9-13

This then, is how you should pray: Our Father who are in heaven...

Four main problems with Christians and churches today:

Most think the "bread" is our earthly and/or spiritual needs. It's not! "Spiritual needs" could mean many things. Jesus here had only one meaning - the "Bread" is the "Bread of life", for the forgiveness of our sins. Only one specific precise meaning!!!
Most are not praying the Lord's Prayer "daily" as Jesus commanded, "Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins". The Bible says God renews us day by day. And He also desires to hear from us daily, and properly. If you think Jesus gave us the pattern to pray, see Section 6 below.
Catholics & Orthodox although they pray this prayer sometimes, they do not acknowledge the Bread as the "Bread of life", don't even know that "Your kingdom come" means give us the Holy Spirit, and ignore God's condition of forgive others to be forgiven and instead pray to Mary!
Protestants think this page is a Catholic thing and doesn't concern them. I want to cry! So many are lost! Protestant theologians explained this prayer as, "Jesus meant it only for the Jews". But they missed this verse from Jesus, Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, ... and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. "Go to all nations and teach them to obey everything I commanded you!" But Protestant churches cannot obey this verse. Because to pray the Lord's Prayer daily would be contradicting to their "do nothing" theology!! More details here.

Also showing how far off Protestants are from the Bible, declaring many things Jesus said as "He meant them only for the Jews", this verse from Jesus points directly at today's Protestants mis-interpretations: ‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message”

This part is one sentence, not 2:

“Give us this day our daily Bread, and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who trespass against us.”

Some translations have a period after "Bread". But the translations considered word-for-word from Aramaic, Hebrew, & Greek (i.e., ESV and NASB) use a comma after Bread, not a period. This is a very crucial point, because the meaning could become misinterpreted in many different ways. But thank God for the 4 Gospels that help us cross-reference and determine the right answer.

The forgiveness of sins is the result of receiving the Bread for that day!!!

Here is the Lord's Prayer from the Gospel of Luke:

Luke 11:1-4 ESV

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say:

“Father, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come.
Give us each day our daily bread, and forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
And lead us not into temptation.”

Again here, the ESV version shows a comma after Bread, not period. There was no punctuation in the original Aramaic Bible version. Verse-numbering and punctuation were added later. And in this case, some versions / translations mistranslated based on the "bread" = earthly needs.

God's Redemption Sacrifice is not Effective Unless "Spiritually-Eaten" Daily

John 6:53

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you.

God has not changed! His root-ways are the same across Old and New Testaments!

The sin-redemption has always been through both Sacrifice and eating of the Sacrifice!

The Jews were required to eat the daily sin-offering in order to receive forgiveness! Leviticus 6:25-26 …the sin offering shall be slaughtered before the Lord; it is most holy. The priest who offers it shall eat it; it must be eaten in a holy place... And Jesus' prayer accomplishes the same! Using the Bread as a representation of His sacrifice. And we eat It spiritually by genuinely asking God the Father for It when we pray Jesus' prayer! More details on this here: Christianity & Judaism - A Parallel.

The Lord's Prayer daily is one of Jesus' commands - John 14:15 If you love me, keep my commands. Jesus word-smithed the words in the Lord's Prayer perfectly. Which is consistent with what God did throughout history:

After the fall God was the One that taught Adam and Eve how to present a sacrifice fitting to Him so He could forgive their sins.
God was the One that crafted the Leviticus law to Moses that had to be executed precisely for the daily forgiveness of sins.
And finally God was the One that word-smithed the Lord’s Prayer for the daily forgiveness of sins.

Is "The Bread" our Basic Earthly Needs?

NO!! Jesus, God Himself in the flesh, comes to earth and walks among us, the grandest event in the history of humankind, and He teaches us how to pray for food?!! As in we didn't know how to ask God for food; He had to show us?!! And then most people ignored it as, "Jesus is showing us how to be humble and just ask for the basic necessities of life..." So most people and churches are not praying this prayer! Even the Catholic church, although they recite it in their mass, would not acknowledge "the bread" = "the Bread of life". Obviously because, it makes it a DIY version of their Eucharist. Which would belittle their bishops' and priests' roles - if people can receive the Bread of life at home by directly praying to God, then they won't come to church and donate! Catholics, see Section 1.8 below on how the Lord's Prayer relates to the Eucharist / Communion.

John 6:26-27 [after the miracle of feeding the 5,000, the next day:]

Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you...”

Jesus always used the word "Bread" to mean His sacrifice. He would never instruct us to pray for earthly bread. Examples, in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:31-33 “[...don’t worry about earthly needs], but seek God first…”

If you're not praying this prayer with the Bread meaning the Bread of life for the forgiveness of sins, then you're just asking God for lunch! And you remain in your sins!

Is "The Bread" Both Earthly & Spiritual Needs?

NO IT IS NOT! Trying to include more meanings into it, as in, one of them will hit it right, shows lack of understanding of the scripture! Only one meaning - the Bread in this prayer is strictly the redemptive "sacrifice of Jesus" that we must "eat" by faith, daily, for the forgiveness of sins.

In Bible terminology, the scripture for our learning is not "the bread". There are many references in the Bible precisely pointing to "the Bread" as the sacrifice of Jesus. We can't go off getting creative and confusing people!

So how Exactly do we Receive this "Bread of life"?

It is not physical bread to chew on, it is a spiritual Bread, that we receive by faith when we genuinely pray the Lord's Prayer and mean it correctly. The Bread of life represents the physical suffering and death of Jesus on the cross on our behalf. It is this part: "Jesus' substitutionary death on our behalf" that mandates eating the "Bread of life" daily in order to be forgiven and receive the Holy Spirit daily - John 6:53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. We eat this Bread by faith when we mean it in our hearts that the Bread is indeed the "Bread of life", Jesus Himself for our forgiveness. This will "renew us day by day" 2 Corinthians 4:16. Which is the same way God commanded the Jewish priests, in the old covenant, to eat the sacrifice daily for the forgiveness of the people's sins. See my page on Christianity & J udaism - A Parallel.

For Catholics, see Section 1.8 below on how the Lord's Prayer relates to the Eucharist / communion.

Other Confusions about the Daily Bread

Some say, "Jesus gave them this prayer before He died on the cross. So the "bread" couldn't possibly be His body at that point." Well, look closer. John Chapter 6, for example, the 2nd half of that chapter is all about Jesus telling people that they needed to eat His flesh and drink His blood in order to be saved. And that was Jesus before He died. There is no before and after for God; He is "I Am". Sits outside of time.

Others say the "bread" means both earthly needs and spiritual needs. No it does not; trying to include more meanings into it, as in, one of them will hit it right, shows lack of knowledge of God! Only one meaning - the Bread in this prayer is strictly the "sacrifice of Jesus" that we must "eat" daily for the forgiveness of sins. Jesus always used the word "Bread" to mean His flesh. He would never instruct us to pray for earthly bread. Examples, in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 6:31-33 “...don’t worry about earthly needs, but seek God first…”. And in John 6:26-27 "[... Do not work for food that spoils], but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you...". Also see all the Biblical references below, in this section.

And others say, "what's the difference? as long as we pray the prayer." There is a huge difference! Our spiritual communication with God is about what we mean. The words are meaningless unless we mean what they are in our hearts. Then others may say, "He didn't mean for us to use those exact words." Why would we change them? They look perfect to me; that prayer is perfectly complete in every way. I wouldn't change anything in it. If you put your human touch on it, you would certainly destroy it!

I hear some saying, "this prayer was given to the Jews; because Jesus and His disciples were Jews." True, but that was Christianity creation in progress. All of Jesus Christ's teachings are the basis for today's Christianity. See my page on Jesus for Jews & Paul for Gentiles?

7.1.2 Must Forgive Others - If You Don't Forgive Others You Will Not Be Forgiven = "Evildoer"!!

Pay attention "by-faith-aloners", "Catholic confessions penalty prayers", and "Calvinist TULIPers", Jesus did not just casually tell us to pray His prayer, he went on stressing that if we don't forgive others then God would not forgive us. The prayer specifically says to forgive others, then Jesus re-stressed it in these verses:

Matthew 6:14-15

For if you forgive other people when they trespass against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their trespasses, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Notes: It doesn't get any clearer than this! These verses need no explanation. If we don't forgive others we remain as "evildoers" in the eyes of God - there is no such thing as "I'm not that bad".

**NOTE: This is not an unforgivable sin! This is God telling us that He would not forgive our sins, unless we forgive others!

We must forgive others in order to receive forgiveness and God's blessings!! God singled-out this one common human behavior as a non-negotiable condition. Did Jesus mean this for the Jews only? Obviously not! How many people do you know that truly forgive everybody? And how many therefore are forgiven by God and have the Holy Spirit? Every day we're not forgiven, we distance ourselves from God. And when we distance ourselves from God, we will not receive His blessings. The longer we go without forgiveness, the worse it gets.

Then Jesus further kept stressing "forgiving others" by dedicating a whole parable to it, in Matthew 18:21-35!

And also in this reference where Jesus was explaining to His disciples why they could not perform a certain miracle:

Mark 11:24-25

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.”

The same message was also in the Old Testament!

‭‭2 Samuel‬ ‭22‬:‭26‬ With the merciful you show yourself merciful…

No wonder there is no peace on earth! All we have today is Christianity people's way, not God's way!!

Why would anyone want to pray to Mary and other dead people? Why is this prayer not preached in Protestant churches today? Why do we ignore Jesus, OUR GOD, and not pray it daily?

A Side-note on Forgiving Others:

Jesus did not want us to be completely silent, and accept abuse from others for example. He did say to push-back / rebuke them, but also at the same time forgive them:

‭‭Luke‬ ‭17‬:‭3‬-‭4‬

“So watch yourselves. “If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.””

Another Side Note:

Let's make sure we don't confuse things - We must forgive those who trespass against us, which does not include those who sin against God! So if we see someone sinning against God, it is not our place to forgive them!

‭‭2 Chronicles‬ ‭19‬:‭2
But Jehu the son of Hanani the seer went out to meet him and said to King Jehoshaphat, “Should you help the wicked and love those who hate the Lord? Because of this, wrath has gone out against you from the Lord.

7.1.3 Your Kingdom Come

"Your Kingdom Come" means "Give us the Holy Spirit"

Luke 17:20-21

Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, “The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you.

‭‭

Luke‬ ‭18‬:‭17‬ “Truly I tell you, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.”

In this verse, Jesus used the term "kingdom of God" with 2 meanings:

Something we receive - The Holy Spirit.
A place to enter - Heaven.

God the Father gives us the Holy Spirit on a daily basis, and only when we ask Him!

Before you frown on this because your church does not explain it this way, take a moment to look at the strong Bible references I provide here.

Jesus explained it a few verses after the Lord's Prayer in Luke 11:2-4:

Luke 11:13

Jesus said: "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!

Notes: This, "...your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" is a clear reference to our request, "your kingdom come" in the Lord's Prayer a few verses before; Jesus in this verse was continuing His explanation of His Prayer in Luke 11:2-4. So, God is giving the Holy Spirit, “to those who ask Him”. This is how we become filled with the Holy Spirit; it's daily!! And only when we ask!!! No wonder no one is filled with the Holy Spirit anymore!

2 Corinthians 4:16 Paul said: …our inner Person is being renewed day by day.

Notes: "Our inner Person" is the Holy Spirit!! We receive Him day by day!! How? By praying to God and asking for Him, daily!

👉🏿 You ask, what about what Paul said in Ephesians that we're sealed with the Holy Spirit:

Ephesians 1:13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.

But the same Paul also said this, which is consistent with Jesus's "daily" prayer:

2 Corinthians 4:16 Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer person is decaying, yet our inner Person is being renewed day by day.

"Our inner Person" is the Holy Spirit!! We receive Him "day by day!!" How? By praying to God and asking for Him, daily!

Paul's "sealed with the Holy Spirit" statement assumes we keep Jesus's commands for life. Then and only then we can claim the "sealed" for life! This sheds a new light on what Jesus said: Matthew 22:14 “For many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Another example of the kingdom of God = the Holy Spirit - In this verse when Jesus sent the 72, filled with the Holy Spirit, to perform miracles:

Luke 10:8-9

“When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.'

The Holy Spirit - one of His roles as revealed to us, is to reside in bodies as a representation of God within us. So receiving the kingdom of God, is equivalent to entering it. Jesus said don't look for it, the kingdom of God is within us. When we're truly filled with the Holy Spirit, it feels as if we're in heaven!

2 Corinthians 5:5
...God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.

7.1.4 Lead Us Not Into Temptation, But Deliver Us From Evil

We ask you not to allow the devil to tempt us, and protect us from evil.

God does not tempt us.

James 1:13

When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone

But God may lead us into temptation, that is allow the devil to tempt us. He led His own Son into temptation:

Matthew 4:1

Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.

This was God, "the Spirit", "leading Jesus into temptation!" - So "a Holy God does not lead people into temptation?" Think again, He does. If He did it to His own Son, He'll do it to you. Jesus did not fall in the devil's trap, but we likely would! So pray that God does not lead you into temptation, as Jesus instructed us.

God may choose to test us, by "leading us into temptation". Our life on earth is test ground for God. He started testing people all the way back at Adam and Eve times. He put the tree there and led them into temptation - He allowed the devil to tempt them. The devil in a snake form tempted them, and they failed; fell into his trap.

Sure God already knows the results. He may choose to lead people into temptation to show them what He already knows. There are two cases for this:

The case of Jesus - The Spirit led Jesus to temptation. Why would God do this? Jesus is a part of Him! God did it to show us, that Jesus in His human form, did not fail. And that Jesus is indeed the sinless Messiah; the perfect first born sacrifice for our sins.
The case of the rest of people on earth - We, being not Jesus, will always fail. Although God already knows the results, He may choose to lead us into temptation to show us that we failed. This also saves Him any arguing from people on judgement day. This is why He selectively leads some into temptation. But obviously according to Jesus, we may be able to change His mind when we ask Him not to.

Note, the Bible says there will be arguing with God on judgement day. Where does it say this? Here is an example reference:

Matthew 7:21-23

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Notes: This is Jesus showing us an example of how He will respond to "nice people" by earthly standards, declared "evildoers" by God, arguing with Him on judgement day.

"Temptation" is the temptation to leave God and get lured into the world and its ungodly ways.

Jesus used the term "fall into temptation" in another place, which helps us understand the meaning better.

Matthew 26:40-41

Then He returned to His disciples and found them sleeping. “Couldn’t you men keep watch with me for one hour?” He asked Peter. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation...”

Jesus asked Peter to keep praying to stay 100% focused on God in this crucial hour Jesus was going through. However, Peter fell into temptation later by giving into the worldly scene around him, denied Jesus 3 times shortly after!

This is why we renew our pledge to God daily, in this world, which is full of worldly scenes all around us.

But Deliver Us from Evil: Means protect and save us from evil. This is exactly what Jesus said when He was praying for His disciples just before He was arrested to be crucified:

‭‭John‬ ‭17‬:‭15 ”My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.“

In other words, for now, keep them in this lost world, but protect them from evil.

7.1.5 The Complete Lord's Prayer Explanation Summary

Our Father who are in heaven:

Getting God's attention with a respectful parental term of endearment.

Hallowed be Your Name:

May Your name always be Holy and respected.

Your Kingdom come:

Give us the Holy Spirit to reside in us. (Interpretation unknown to most)

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven:

We lovingly submit to your will, by choice. (God's will is already done in heaven - I cast my vote for His will to also be done on earth. We are created with free-will. We have the choice to submit to His will, or not.)

Give us this day our daily Bread and forgive us our sins:

Give us our daily "Bread of Life" for the forgiveness of sins, so we "wash our robes" and become "righteous". Because we repent of our sins.

(Interpretation unknown to most)

As we forgive those who trespass against us:

We promise to forgive others. Acknowledging that unless we forgive everyone who wronged us, we would not be forgiven, would not become "righteous", and would not receive the Holy Spirit for that day. (Interpretation unknown to most)

Lead us not into temptation:

We ask you not to allow the devil to tempt us.

But deliver us from evil:

Protect and save us from evil.

How Fast Should We Pray This Prayer?

No less than 10 to 15 minutes. It is not about "recite it and be done with it!" You're visiting with God during this prayer! All 3 Persons of the Trinity are involved! If you meet with the president of the company you work for, how proper and attentive would you be? Take that and multiply by a hundred. That's how you should be while praying this prayer - You're standing in the presence of God!!

Start by clearing your mind from all the noise of today's world. Take your time, meditate on each loaded-word that Jesus took the time to put together for us. Sometimes I find myself having to repeat the prayer once or twice because my mind wonders off; we're humans; this happens to all of us. I make sure my visit is properly completed with the prayer words all genuinely meant in my heart.

And here's what not to do. I recall when I was younger, the Catholic priest saying this prayer in less than 5 seconds!!! It would have been better for him to go work at the auctions, than be a church misleader!

Are We True Christian?

7.1.8 How Does the Lord's Prayer Fit with the Catholic Eucharist / Communion?

The Eucharist is not the requirement for forgiveness of sins, it is a commemorating activity. The Lord's Prayer daily, is required for forgiveness of sins.

The "Eucharist" was based on the Bible reference below from Luke. Although Matthew and Mark also reported similar scripture from the "last supper," Luke further clarified what Jesus said about this being a commemorating event:

Luke 22:14-19

14 When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. 16 For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.”

17 After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, “Take this and divide it among you. 18 For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” 19 And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.”

Jesus meant the "breaking of bread and drinking of wine" as a commemorating event for generations to come. He specifically said, "...do this in remembrance of me." It is to be similar to Passover and Christmas. It is not THE required steps for forgiveness of sins! But the Catholic church misunderstood as always, like they did with the Purgatory and "Mary mother of God" doctrines.

How do I know the Eucharist is not the requirement for forgiveness of sins? 3 reasons:

God's new covenant is 100% faith-based - He would not re-introduce a physical requirement, Moses-law-style!! As in, you must find a priest to give you bread to chew-on to become forgiven!! What if the priest got stuck in traffic and did not arrive in time to give that dying man his last communion?! Will that man then go to hell as a result of a traffic jam?!!!
Because it is not in line with the Lord's Prayer - Jesus instructed us to ask for the Bread of life for forgiveness of sins daily, spiritually by faith. And daily is the method consistent with God's previous covenant. And consistent with other scripture from Paul, example, "renewed day by day."
Because God's condition for forgiveness is, you have to repent & forgive others. Not the penalty the priest gives you at confessions - of reciting Hail Mary 20 times. The Lord's Prayer words are the key to daily renewal, sin-forgiveness, and receiving the Holy Spirit.

Commemorating the last supper as Jesus asked, is a Holy event that we should all do. Although Paul seemed to do it with the early church on Sundays to keep them focused on the newly learned Gospel, Jesus did not give any guidance on how often. I believe a commemorating activity can be yearly - at Easter celebration for example, is the perfect time for it. And we can do it in our own gatherings as explained in How to Be True Christians, just as Jesus did with His disciples. Someone in the group can read the Luke 22:14-19 scripture, break bread and divide among the rest and have a cup of red wine with it, in remembrance of Jesus' sacrifice. But it is to be understood as such, not the requirement for sin-cleansing.

The Catholic church confused people about this whole subject, monopolized the Bread of life, and made it a requirement to come to church to receive it through their "mysterious" Eucharist, to boost donations. But Jesus offered it freely in His prayer! The proper way to receive the spiritual Bread of life is daily; DAILY is the exact frequency Jesus commanded. You don't need to chew on anything to become forgiven!

Closing Notes

Are you thinking "this interpretation of the Lord's Prayer can't possibly be right; could it possibly be that churches and millions of people have missed this truth for hundreds of years?" Yes, it is very possible. Don't look at people around you; look at God in the Bible. It is not about how many intelligent people were involved. The question is, who had wisdom from God?

If you're waiting for your church to see this and approve and declare it the truth, it will never happen!!

Why? No one wants to admit they've been wrong all these years!! They've preached it wrong to your parents, grandparents, and everyone up the line! They will never admit they've been wrong!! You have to look after your own salvation and eternity!

This section is continued with more Bible references in The Lord's Prayer is Severely Misunderstood.

7.2 Are We True Christians?

Summary: This is a Bible study. Comparing churches' doctrines and teachings to the Bible, I find all churches are severely deficient, and producing spiritually dead people. I urge you to temporarily set aside what you learned in your church and open your heart to these biblical truths. So many people are misled by their church! I am not a member of any church-denomination. My wisdom comes from God through studying the Bible, not from earthly organizations.

John 14:15

Jesus said: If you love me, keep my commands.

1 John‬ ‭2:4‬

“The one who says, “I have come to know Him,” and yet doesn’t keep His commands, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”

Jesus has specific new-covenant commands. Does anyone know them? Is anyone keeping them?

The majority of Christians today are not true Christians, because they're running Christianity their way, not God's way.

Most "Christians" today are one of these:

Praying to Mary and saints to intercede.

They don't know God!

"By faith alone" - ignoring Jesus' commands

They don't know the other side of the Bible.

God already mysteriously selected people.

They don't know God!

No wonder there is no peace on earth, which is also why Jewish people are mocking us and are still waiting for the "true messiah" to come!!

After years of attending churches followed by years of diligently seeking God in the Bible, I realized how far off we all are. I documented my notes of how to be Christians as God intended, in these 2 pages:

How to Be True Christians

The Lord's Prayer is Severely Misunderstood

I'm not selling anything! It is all out of love for God and for all people on earth.

What gives me the right to do this? Direct orders from the Apostle Paul in the Bible:

‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭2-‭4 Paul said:

"I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear."

We have without a doubt reached that time! And I am rebuking and correcting!!

Let's start with the church leaders and so-called "Christian theologians" of today, our supposed role-models and top decision-makers on doctrines and theology. It is obvious none of them are true believers; none are filled with the Holy Spirit. Yes, a bold claim; how dare I say this? Here's why:

John 14:12-14 Jesus said:

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

If the pope or the most devout protestant church leader walks into a hospital, can they heal anybody in the name of Jesus? No. Can they put their hand on a child in wheelchair and make her walk? No. And yet they are the top decision-makers on doctrines, theology, and what to teach people!! And people are still in churches listening to their misleading teaching and false doctrines! It is true we are called to obey our spiritual leaders, but only when they are teaching sound biblical doctrines!!

Each church-denomination preaches from their side of the Bible, limiting it to verses that support their individual theologies, and ignores the rest of thousands of pages opposing to them.

👉 Consider this analogy of facts:

Old-Covenant: God gave the Jewish leadership high-priest role to Moses who became Godly and performed miracles.

1500 years later, the Jewish high-priest and the whole Sanhedrin voted unanimously to crucify Jesus, despite knowing He was the awaited Messiah!

New-Covenant: Jesus gave the church to Peter who became Godly and performed miracles in the name of Jesus Christ.

2000 years later, fill in the blank ________. (Hint, use from the bullets above.)

Humans will be humans. God gives it a push, then years later human-corruption takes over. It always did, ever since creation, causing God to take drastic measures - Noah's flood, Sodom & Gomorrah, Jews exiled and re-exiled every few hundred years, etc.. And now awaiting the final big one.

If you are truly seeking God and His kingdom, then seek God in the Bible with family and friends, a small group, or on your own. More details here: How to Be True Christians.

God never intended for us to have all these contradicting denominations, but rather one Christian body of believers. Did you know there are 45,000 Christian denominations today? 45,000 different interpretations of the Bible with different niches to draw people and collect donations!! Here's what the Bible says:

Matthew 18:20 Jesus said:

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

The 2 or 3 gathering in Jesus' name would be one example of that church. If the 2 or 3 are gathered truly in His name, then God would not mislead them or give each group of 2 or 3 different interpretations of the scriptures. So only one explanation, leaders in church-denominations are not truly filled with the Holy Spirit. This is why people need to be on their guard, and not blindly follow their church. It is our eternity we're talking about; are you willing to take a chance with earthly loyalties? There is no "oops" later; no changing your mind after death!

Yes, Paul did say:

Hebrews 10:24-25

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another...

But back in Paul's days, it was one true church, not 41,000 !! Today, we have church-buildings open for business and fun, with no teaching of Jesus' commands and no seeking of God anywhere. I do obey this "meeting together" verse from Paul. Explained how-to, here: How to Be True Christians.

Today's Churches no Longer Follow the Bible - Each carved out a Bible Niche for Themselves

Paul already rebuked today's churches:

1 Timothy‬ ‭6‬:‭2‬-‭3 Paul said:

"... If anyone teaches otherwise and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching, they are conceited and understand nothing."

Paul has been rebuking the churches ever since he was with them. Here is what Paul said in between his visits to those churches:

Galatians 1:6 Paul said:

I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.

If they "so quickly deserted the truth" then, how much more now, 2000 years later?!!!

For Jesus, the "church" is the Christian body of genuine believers, led by Jesus Himself through the Holy Spirit within us. And one interpretation of the Bible!!

Matthew 16:18

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

When He told Peter he was the rock to build His church on, He meant Peter was the role model He intended for Christians to follow. So, we don't need an earthly church leader, because Jesus Himself is the leader of the church consisting of genuine Christian believers filled with the Holy Spirit, and with one interpretation of the Bible - Continued with supporting Bible references here: How to Be True Christians.

7.2.1 Comparison of Christian Leaders' Accomplishments, Then and Now

Disciples & Apostles' accomplishments, then:

Preached the Word correctly? Yes

Laid their hands on sick people and healed them? Yes

Laid their hands on crippled people and made them walk? Yes

Brought dead people back to life?! (Peter and Paul did!) Yes

Paul accidentally picked up a venomous snake and it did not harm him.

Number of changes in God's realm: 0 - As it should be!

Having dedicated every moment of their lives to this, they were poor and homeless, with barely enough to eat. 💝

Church leaders' accomplishments, since then:

Preached the Word correctly? No
- Protestants brain-washed people into doing nothing, and just keep saying these words: born-again, covered by the blood, saved by Grace.
- Catholics brain-washed their people into praying to Mary and saints to intercede with God.
- Calvinists brain-washed their people into "God already decided; it's all His will, we have no say". Anything else is "devil doctrines".

And the resulting number of miracles performed in the name of Jesus: 0

Number of dead people brought back to life: 0

Number of changes in God's realm: 2 - Horrible & blasphemous
- The Pope seated Mary next to God in heaven as God's mother.
- The Pope created a mini-Hell (aka, Purgatory) to process certain type sins after death and provide a path to heaven, that Jesus didn't/couldn't provide.

Any church leaders homeless or hungry? No, they improved some on that.
- Protestants stressed the need to tithe 10% - Church leaders are Millionaires with private jets.
- Catholic churches collected donations and sent to the Vatican. The Vatican's worth is in $trillions. It's an organized spiritual mafia.

Each church-denomination preaches from their side of the Bible, limiting it to verses that support their individual theologies, and ignores the rest of thousands of pages opposing to them.

👉 Consider this analogy of facts:

Old-Covenant: God gave the Jewish leadership high-priest role to Moses who became Godly and performed miracles.

1500 years later, the Jewish high-priest and the whole Sanhedrin voted unanimously to crucify Jesus, despite knowing He was the awaited Messiah!

New-Covenant: Jesus gave the church to Peter who became Godly and performed miracles in the name of Jesus Christ.

2000 years later, fill in the blank ________. (Hint, use from the bullets above.)

Humans will be humans. God gives it a push, then years later human complacency and corruption take over. They always did, ever since creation, causing God to take drastic measures - Noah's flood, Sodom & Gomorrah, Jews exiled to Babylon, etc.. And now awaiting the final big one. See my page on The Rapture.

If you are truly seeking God and His kingdom, then seek God in the Bible on your own or with a small group. More details here How to Be True Christians.

God never intended for us to have all these contradicting denominations, but rather one Christian body of believers. Did you know there are 41,000 Christian denominations today? 41,000 different interpretations of the Bible! Here's what the Bible says about this exact point:

Matthew 18:20

Jesus said: "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

For Jesus, the "church" is the Christian body of genuine believers, led by Jesus Himself through the Holy Spirit within us.

Matthew 16:18

"And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

When He told Peter he was the rock to build His church on, He meant Peter was the role model He intended for Christians to follow. So, we don't need an earthly church leader, because Jesus Himself is the leader of the church - Continued with supporting Bible references here: How to Be True Christians.

7.2.2 The Deficiencies in Church-Denominations

Mainly focusing on the deficiencies and abuses of God's scripture.

Protestants

(Including Baptists, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, etc.)

I listened to Charles Stanley's weekly sermon for 30 years, and Chuck Swindoll's for a number of years. The parts of the Bible they preached, they preached very, very well. And the parts of the Bible they avoided, they avoided very, very cleverly!! Never did either of them touch on the verses highlighted here below. They only preached from one side of the Bible; the side that agrees with their lip-service do-nothing theology! And ignored the rest.

Saved, nothing else to do? - The bible is full of verses and parables about spiritual maturity, but all ignored by protestant churches! Why? To please people with the "do nothing and just sing & wave-arms" message. They stick to the high-level verses in the Bible, please the people, and collect donations. See my page on By Faith Alone? for more shocking truths.

Impossible to become unsaved? - Protestants spend whole sermons on "once saved always saved", ignoring the many parables from Jesus about becoming rejected and sent to hell if you're not growing spiritually. Examples, John 15:6 "branches that wither and die", Luke 13:6 "cut the fig tree down", and Matthew 25:30 "cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness". See my page What Does "Believe in Jesus" Really Mean? for more details and Bible references.

By Faith Alone? Paul introduced Jesus to the Gentiles. But Protestants ran with the intro as the complete message!! The Protestants' "by faith alone" is completely different than the Bible's "by faith alone". The Bible says, we have to learn Jesus' commands and keep them! Example, pray the Lord's Prayer once a day as He commanded. More details in my page By Faith Alone?

Refuse to pray the Lord's Prayer - The key part of God's New Covenant!! They utterly refuse to pray it in their sermons, and never encourage their members to pray it daily as Jesus commanded. Why? 3 reasons: (1) Because Catholics pray this prayer! (2) Because Protestants call it "repetitive works" - it's a burden to have to pray it daily; contradicting to their "by faith alone" theology. And (3) because their arrogant theologians decided Jesus meant it only for the Jews. They connected it to the manna from Moses, or some worthless explanation like that. They decided, and that's their final answer - But you stopped seeking God in the Bible! Go back and look!! You messed up big on this one!!! You're not covered by the blood, nor saved by grace; you're spiritually dead, unless you pray the Lod's Prayer daily - we need the Bread of life daily. There is one new covenant from God, not two - not one for Jews and one for gentiles?!! See my page on The Lord's Prayer is Severely Misunderstood for eye-opening Bible references.

Pentecostals? They're just Protestants, equally lost with the same unbiblical version of by-faith-alone theology but kicked-up a few notches with energy and charisma. And people flock there like they flock to the newest restaurant in town! Making a lot of noise jumping up and down and waving hands, does not mean the Holy Spirit is anywhere near there. It is not a sports game. The Holy Spirit is given by God to those who obey Him:

Acts 5:32 ...the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him. This clearly means not jumping up and down, not waving hands, not making noise, not faking speaking in tongues, and not faking miracles!!! It means first learn Jesus' commands and keep them. If you truly know Jesus' commands? you wouldn't be doing this. I don't say this to criticize everybody. I say it to make those who genuinely care, look closer at the Bible. Don't just join the charismatic crowd.

Must tithe the whole 10% - Protestants would spend a whole sermon on the subject of tithing; digging up verses all the way back from Leviticus and making sure that people tithe the full 10% of their income, not 9% or 8% because "they'd be stealing from God." But the Lord's Prayer? "Jesus meant that for the Jews." When in fact the 10% amount of tithing was the one meant only for the Jews, for their 11 to 1 tribes' ratio! Hebrews 7:5 Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites. Tithing 10% is "works of the law" that Jesus nailed to the cross. It was modified by Paul for the Gentiles, to: "Any gift is good" Philippians 4:16-18. See section below on "Still Tithing 10%?"

Solely going by Paul's message as the one for the gentiles, and ignoring Jesus' teaching, and the fact that God gave us 1 new-covenant not 2!! Protestants brush off discrepancies between Jesus' message and Paul's as something like: "Jesus meant that for the Jews; Paul's message was for the gentiles who became Christians later..." This is so dangerous on so many levels, disrespectful to God, and causing spiritual-death to so many people! Those churches missed the following scripture from Paul, and from Jesus after His resurrection talking to His Jewish disciples:

Romans 10:12

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him.

Matthew 28:17-20

... Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you...”

Notes: This clearly says, "teach all nations to obey EVERYTHING Jesus commanded His Jewish disciples". Any church who preaches otherwise, makes it no different than the Pharisees who crucified Jesus despite knowing He was the Messiah. Jesus is GOD!! All His teachings are for all people, not just the Jews. And Paul is a human. His teachings to the gentiles were elementary, a supplement to Jesus'. Paul mainly pointed to Jesus. Any discrepancy between Paul's and Jesus' messages meant check what Jesus said for completeness! See my page on Jesus for Jews & Paul for Gentiles?

Giant Screens & Loud Music, But No Seeking of God - The focus shifted to big screens, loud music, and waving of hands. When instead it should be on seeking God and His kingdom. Even if we spend every moment of our lives seeking God in the scriptures, we'd only tap into a tiny fraction of God's ways and Personality. But churches went off with what pleases people!! And the sermon preaching is always yearly-rotating the same simple, safe, and unoffending subjects. No preaching on Jesus parables that contradict their theology!! Nor on "politically incorrect" subjects of today's culture; careful not to upset people and lose donations.

Catholic Church (including Greek Orthodox)

I grew up Catholic, went to Catholic schools and the rest. So, I know Catholicism inside and out, and I can write a hundred books on the subject.

They got the Nicene Creed right. They pray the Lord's Prayer in their sermons, although they don't mean it right. Other than these, everything else they do is problematic! And even blasphemous!! The Catholic church and their side-kick the Orthodox church teachings, for hundreds of years, have been mostly unbiblical. And the people following them are duped by the grand display of authority, and are being misled!

The root cause of the mess in Catholic & Orthodox churches is this:

They still think God uses "sin" as the measure of our "righteousness". They have no idea how God's new redemptive covenant works, or more likely they do have an idea but ignore and reject it!! They're still canonizing "sinless" saints!! And the message to people is, minimize your sins to maximize your chances for heaven.

Here's one example verse in the Bible that explains why their thinking is completely unbiblical:

Matthew 5:20 Jesus said: "For I tell you that unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven."

The Jewish scribes and Pharisees were the role models in perfection and living sinless all their lives. But Jesus told them it's not good enough!! He specifically said, "you will never enter heaven"! He said we need to exceed that level of sinless perfection! How do we achieve that? We do by getting renewed day by day through praying the Lord's Prayer daily. The "righteousness" achieved by receiving the redemptive Bread of life daily, is impossible to achieve any other way!! (For how the Eucharist relates to the Lord's Prayer, see section 1.8 in The Lord's Prayer is Severely Misunderstood.)

Canonization of Saints - An unbiblical doctrine. A process where the pope and cardinals anoint so called "saints", based on investigations into their lives and determining that they were sinless. Which is contradicting to the Bible teachings and the whole sin-redemption sacrifice of Jesus. The process is mostly political. They try to satisfy all countries by canonizing a saint from each. Some churches around the world take it a step further and use sensational tricks like mummifying the "saint", showing blood still oozing out of their body, and putting him/her on public display!!!

Pray to saints? The Vatican canonizes them, and people pray to them! Some get on their knees before the statue of so and so, and others lay face down at the feet of another. The church is not doing anything to stop it - being careful not to upset people (where donations come from), but is ok with upsetting God! Here's what God said: ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭20‬:‭4‬ ‭“You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship them;"

The Vatican's difficult process to become a "saint" got the Catholic people thinking, "if it is that impossible to become a 'saint' and get into heaven, then there is no hope for me. Thus, the only remaining way for me is to pray to the 'virgin Mary' and to those 'saints'!!!" Catholics think that turning to Mary and saints is the same as turning to God via these people. They ignore the Bible saying, Jesus is the only mediator (1Timothy 2:5) who's sacrifice is sufficient for them to become true saints! I am extremely sad! So many innocent people are/were lost, including my own parents and ancestors. Misled by the church!!

Mary the Mother of God?! Do they even know what they're saying?!! So Mary is the mother of our Triune God?! ...the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see... Timothy 6:15-16. This God?!!! Mary is the mother of this God?!!! And God has become a quadrune god?!! mother father son and holy spirit?!!!!! The Bible only called the blessed Mary "the mother of Jesus". But the Catholic church defiantly pushed their way to the deity level!! Pope Pius declared it a doctrine in 1950! There were 259 Popes before Pope Pius XII. 1900 years and 259 Popes; none of them touched this. Why? Because despite pressure from the people, they were still part of the church-generation that feared God! So then, was Pope Pius XII and his cardinals smarter and Godlier than the 259 before him? That they got this brilliant idea to seat Mary next to God?

Catholics "feel" that Jesus' sacrifice is not sufficient to forgive all their sins!!! particularly the sexual sins. They "feel" they need to turn to the "virgin" Mary and the "sinless" Saints to beg God for them. This is not Christianity!! It's a hybrid-pagan religion! Matthew 15:8 ‘These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. My Catholic relatives keep pressing me to read a book about all the miracles of Mary. It is a hopeless situation 😪. Continued in my page Mary the M other of God?

The Lord's Prayer not interpreted right - The Catholic church would not acknowledge "the Bread" = "the Bread of life". Obviously, because it makes it a DIY version of their Eucharist. Which would belittle their bishops' and priests' roles - if people can receive the Bread of life at home by directly praying to God, then they won't come to church and donate! Is the Catholic church thinking from God's perspective here? Or their financial perspective? see my page on The Lord's Prayer is Severely Misunderstood.

Purgatory (Catholics only) Another unbiblical doctrine created by the Vatican. Even the Orthodox church is against it! It is a kind of a mini hell, "required for those sins that Jesus' sacrifice did not cover"! It is a result of misunderstanding some verses in the Bible: ‭1 John‬ ‭5:16-17‬ and ‭‭Mark‬ ‭3:28-30‬. They took these 2 references and extrapolated a whole doctrine. All because Jesus used the term "will not be forgiven in the next age" related to the "unforgivable sin of the spirit". I have a good explanation on my page: Purgatory?

Confessions! People confess their sins to a priest. Then based on the number of death-sins and not-death-sins they committed, the priest determines how many times they should repeat the hail-Mary prayer as a penalty for their sins in order to be forgiven, but no guarantee on the death-sins - they may need Purgatory for those! They ignore what Jesus said in the Lord's Prayer, that the only condition for forgiveness is repent and forgive others.

Little to no spiritual growing - The Catholic church is still running with their antiquated plan since the 3rd century: The church (its priests), supposedly study the Bible (but in reality, they don't), then turn around and teach it to the people who are illiterate and can't read or understand the difficulty of the Bible for themselves." Maybe this was acceptable in 300AD, but now in 2023, I think we can do it ourselves and don't need bishops anymore. We have no excuse not to, except laziness.

No Seeking of God as Jesus Commanded - People don't read the Bible - instead they look to the priests. And the Priests don't read the Bible - A church priest behaves more like a social worker - he doesn't have time to read the Bible. He learned it in theology school? No, all he learned there was about how to run a Catholic mass. If people have difficult Bible questions, they usually ask the priest. And the priest usually does not know. Because all he knows is what to do in the repetitive activities of sermons. The usual Catholic sermon Bible reading time is nice stories from the New Testament. Followed by a message from the priest about "let's all be good and nice".

The Vatican - A hierarchy of people with glittery costumes and props - They're more concerned with levels and appearance than with substance, in-line with Jewish temples and Pharisees. ... instead of spending their time on seeking God in the scriptures to revisit their ungodly doctrines and see if just in case, ... just in case they messed up! But no, like the rest of churches, they created their niche and cookie-cutters, and are marching forward.

Calvinists

(Including Reformed, Presbyterian, etc.)

Watch out and be on your guard for the yeast of the Calvinists. So I reused Jesus' words here (as in Matthew 16:6). I'm sure Jesus won't mind.

The true message of the Bible, that Calvinists missed, is this: Before the cross, God was the one choosing people - they were the "Elect". After the cross, people developed faith by hearing the word - these are the "Predestined" based on God's foreknowledge.

Giving a quick summary on this subject for those who don't know. Christianity today can be sliced in many different ways in terms of Bible interpretation, one example is the different church-denominations out there. But at a higher layer, there is a fork-in-the-road disagreement on the free-will subject:

Calvinist: God predestined us for His mysterious reasons, before creation. We have no say. > Calvinist churches.

Arminian: We have the free-will to choose God's grace or reject it. It's our free-will decision. > All other churches, Protestants & Catholics.

The line that separates Calvinists from Arminian is "free will". Calvinists say we don't have free will; God decides everything. Arminians say we have free will, and we decide to accept God's Grace or not.

I actually do believe in predestination based on God's foreknowledge as described in the Bible. But not the "Calvinist's 'mysterious' predestination", which is against Bible teaching. More on this here: Are Calvinist, Presbyterian, Reformed, Biblical?

Calvinist Doctrine Summary: Based on some verses in the Bible that contain these words "Elect" and "Predestined for His pleasure" and a few other verses that allude to them, the Calvinist church built a whole doctrine around that, ignoring the rest of the thousands of verses in the Bible that say otherwise, and preaching that God is the one who "elects" us based on His mysterious reasons. The Calvinist doctrine states that we have no say in it, no matter what we do. Which makes us mere robots; and which is the complete opposite of what the God we know, would do! The Calvinist doctrine, being human-limited-thinking at its worst, cannot see that God is not in our space-time continuum.

God is "I Am". There is no "before" and "after" for God; infinity past & future are always "now" for Him. What you do now in your life determines your predestination status. Example, do you know Jesus' commands? Are you keeping them?

Romans 8:29 "For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son". God foreknew our tendencies first, destined second! I am very sad for the people following the Calvinist and reformed churches. They are so misled.

I listened to R.C. Sproul's sermon for a couple of years and read one of the Calvinist books. So, I am qualified to say a few things about Calvinists:

Do nothing, God already decided for His mysterious reasons? - Calvinists are even worse than the regular Protestants, in the "do nothing" message. They take it a step further to tell their members that no matter what they do, God already decided who will be saved and who won't. Calvinists don't encourage reading the Bible either. They do however encourage to read some books from famous Calvinist leaders!

God's election decision is Unconditional? - Calvinists ignore the many Bible statements from Jesus/God saying things like, "if you love me, I will love you back..." and "if you obey my commands, you will be my people..." But Unconditional is the only way the Calvinist doctrine can hold. If God's predestination was conditional, their whole doctrine would crumble.

Scripture meaning manipulated - They also try to put words in the scripture's mouth; make it seem that "the Bible did not really intend to say 'that', but rather it meant to tell us 'this'..." For example they teach: "any biblical reference to 'the whole world' actually means 'the whole world of the Elect', not the actual whole world." I can understand human incompetency can lead to misinterpretations, but this? I don't see how their church members can swallow it! And sometimes the meaning is manipulated to accommodate certain psychological human behavior...You get the picture. They're in the same league with Mormons, Jehovah's witnesses, etc..

TULIP? - We cannot reduce God to an acronym! We have to keep seeking Him and maturing! John Calvin introduced this acronym. And all their members follow it. They do not read the Bible. They just follow the TULIP teaching!! Because their leader J. Calvin already figured out the Bible and summarized it for them. Then all their "respected" Calvinist book authors are selling books based on TULIP. They painted themselves in a corner, and made the Bible fit to it! When it should have been the other-way-around!

Let's examine the TULIP: Total depravity, Unconditional election, Limited atonement, Irresistible grace, Perseverance of the saints.

- Irresistible grace and Perseverance of the saints, are good but should be meant for all people on earth, not selectively!

- Limited atonement??!! There are thousands of statements in the Bible from God and Jesus directed to "whoever", "the world", etc. You want to twist all of these to fit your tulip?!!!

- Unconditional Election?!!! Calvin based it on his separation from the Catholic church and their false Purgatory-condition doctrine. But he forgot to check with the Bible first before putting a U in tulip! This is the worst malicious attack on God's word! "Antichristian" would have been a better choice word instead of "Unconditional"! The acronym should have been TALIP. There are thousands of verses in the Bible that say it is conditional. Here is one example key condition from Jesus Christ: For IF you forgive other people when they trespass against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But IF you do not forgive others their trespasses, your Father will not forgive your sins, Matthew 6:14-15. You can tulip yourself all you want, if you don't forgive other people you're hell-bound, to give one example on this.

The Calvinist church members are good people! But misled by their church. You are not predestined. You are lost. To be predestined, you have to be following Jesus' commands right now! Drop the TULIP, and learn Jesus' commands and keep them!! Then you become predestined!

7.2.3 Calling All Christians

Calling all Christians who genuinely care. Churches made a mockery of God's word!! Do you know what all this means? A partially good church is not good at all!! Preaching partial truth means people are lost; not saved! They are producing spiritually dead people!! They perverted God's word and made a mockery of it!! Millions of innocent people are spiritually lost. Which is fulfilling Jesus' "wide gate" verse in Matthew 7:13-14.

A partially good church is not good at all!! Their spiritual food is poisoned with their inefficiencies and bad doctrines. You're not on the right path to God!

If you believe your church is great and want to stay with them, show them this page. Let them know they need to revisit their teaching to make it in-line with the Bible! Have them forward it to their theologians, Vatican, and seminary colleges. Or they can separate from their denomination and simply become a true Christian church. Don't just stand there and pray hail Mary with them, or quietly listen to their "by faith alone and nothing else" preaching. God IS alive and can see you doing this!

Most people in church-denominations behave as in a war - "us and them", rather than acting like the Godly people they claim to be, loving one another, and truly seeking God! Protestants, Catholics, and Calvinists went far apart in their interpretations. Protestants don't do what Catholics do, and vv.. Is this Godly? They each have some good interpretations and some not so good. But each denomination's members are loyal to their church as if they got everything 100% right (sort of like Republicans and Democrats).

7.2.4 If by miracle of God churches agreed to change, here's the biblical way

All churches should start their sermons with the Lord's Prayer and teach people to pray it daily with the "bread" = "Bread of life" for forgiveness. Then you become saved! First meet God's requirements, then do your other fluff, hymns, loud music, and "eloquent" speeches.

Protestants:

Follow Jesus' commands!! Mature spiritually by seeking God in the whole Bible - The bible reading needs to get into those parts contradicting to your version of "by faith alone" theology! And properly explain them that there are Jesus commands that need to be obeyed daily!! You can become unsaved if you don't!

Downsize your seminary colleges and let go the useless theology professors. They're not Godly; how could they have missed all these truths!!

No more pushing for 10% tithing! Any gift is good as the apostle Paul said. Get rid of your Business Development people.

THIS IS A HOUSE OF GOD!!

Catholics:

Your mass needs to change from 90% "repetitive stuff stand-up sit-down incense", to 90% Bible reading. Sure you'll lose people, but you'll gain God. The ones that leave are in it for the tradition's aspect of it, not Godly people.

The pope should reverse all unbiblical doctrines, starting with "Mary the mother of God" and "Purgatory"! And stop the unbiblical "canonization of saints"! All true believers who pray the Lord's Prayer daily are righteous in the eyes of God and are called saints.

I actually believe if the pope does do this, a mob of people would attack the Vatican and destroy it. Therefore, he won't - it's a blind leading the blind.

Calvinists:

Ignore your "respected" Calvinist book authors! READ ONLY THE BIBLE!!

TULIP? We can't make a "cookie-cutter" out of God's scripture! We have to keep seeking God, learning, and maturing.

7.2.5 Churches Are Businesses

So many contradicting denominations, most are not “seeking God”. They're donation-collecting businesses and social settings that people enjoy being at. But seeking of God is nowhere to be found!

They call themselves non-profit, but in reality they're high-profit. It is acceptable to collect tithes and donations from the people, but only when teaching sound doctrines from the Bible. Not when misleading them!

John 21:17

Jesus asked a third time, “Simon son of John, do you love Me?” ...Yes, Lord,” he answered, “You know I love You.” Jesus said to him, “Feed My sheep.”

But churches are not feeding the sheep with proper truths. And still charging them tithes and donations.

Shortly after the disciples and Paul's generation died off, churches' spiritual quality went downhill. Not surprising; they even went downhill in-between Paul's visits to those churches in his days: Galatians 1:6, I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel.

The real objective of churches is money, not God, as evident in these public facts:

Seminary college graduates find high-paying jobs at churches.

Bankers estimate the Vatican's wealth between $10 billion and $15 billion and some think it's $ trillions.

Catholic churches around the world send money to the Vatican! Sure the Vatican has charity programs, but bankers estimate those to be "a drop in the bucket" compared to the church's wealth. Btw, if you check public records, you'll find that the Vatican's wealth doubled shortly after their 1950 official announcement of Mary's ascension to heaven, to say what people's itching ears want to hear! It's a business - please the people and collect more donations.

It's time for people to be vigilant about their spiritual status and their eternity. And not rely on churches. There is no oops later. When facing God at judgement, claiming it's the church's fault will not fly. The Bible is full of verses that point to personal responsibility to mature spiritually, or face spiritual death, which leads to hell.

Do you know this verse from Jesus? Luke 9:60 “Leave the dead to bury their own dead. But as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And along those lines I say, let the dead attend [today's] church with the dead. But as for you, genuine Christian believer, leave the churches and seek the kingdom of God by studying the scriptures with your family and friends, without letting today's church poison your knowledge. See my page on what to do instead here: How to Be True Christians. I assure you God will be with you and will guide you.

Still Tithing 10%?

Nowhere in the New Testament does it say to tithe 10%. Jesus had a lot of parables and other teachings, but never mentioned 10% tithing. And the Apostles never mentioned it either, including Paul, who did not say anything about 10% except when he was clarifying a point from the old covenant:

Hebrews 7:5

Now the law requires the descendants of Levi who become priests to collect a tenth from the people—that is, from their fellow Israelites.

10% tithing is "works" of the law of Moses. It has been nailed to the cross along with the rest of the law-commandments.

It was only meant for the Jews for their 11-to-1 tribes ratio. This ratio that mandated 10% is no longer valid today. We are in the new covenant now. But as always, churches are crafty in what is profitable!

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭11‬:‭14 ”And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.“

Just because it is a church with buildings, does not mean they are following God according to the Bible. You could actually be donating your way to hell.

God will not bless you for following the obsolete law of tithing from the old-covenant! He will bless you when you obey Jesus' commands, of the New Covenant! Example, praying the Lord's Prayer daily with the proper meaning of the words!

Paul modified it for the Gentiles to, "any gift is good":

Philippians 4:16-17

for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid more than once when I was in need. Not that I desire your gifts; what I desire is that more be credited to your account.

Paul would have said something here. But no, he said "not that I desire your gifts". He did not say "yes you must tithe 10%"!!! He also explained in other verses to set your heart on a gift and give it cheerfully. Even there he did not say anything about 10%.

And all the other verses that point to no-tithing required or even desired:

‭‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭2‬:‭17

“Unlike so many, we do not peddle the word of God for profit. On the contrary, in Christ we speak before God with sincerity...”

Jesus told His disciples to teach and perform miracles for free (not collect 10%):

Matthew 10:8 "...Freely you have received; freely give."

Hosea 6:6
I don’t want your sacrifices - I want your love; I don’t want your offerings - I want you to know me.

People think they've fulfilled their obligation to God, because churches instilled this in them!! When all God really wants them to do, is spend time studying the Bible to learn about Him, rather than donating and be done!

The 10% amount of tithing was meant only for the Jews. It was advised by God in the days of Moses when it was an 11 to 1 ratio of tribes. Of the 12 tribes of Israel, one tribe, the Levites was the priestly tribe who did not get a land inheritance and instead was given 10% of goods from the other 11 tribes.

This was because the Levites had a tough job to execute hundreds of requirements in the temple of God daily, and had no time to work the land, God advised the other 11 tribes to give a tenth of their produce to the Levite tribe. Today's church, in comparison does nothing, except preach on Sunday what their predecessors preached. And is still pressing their members to tithe the full 10%. Also in comparison, the ratio of people-to-church-ministers today is more like 1,000 to 1, vs., the Jews was 11 to 1.

I know this angers many; especially those who rely on this as their source of income. I do receive hate-emails.

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